"One Busy Week!!"

Yes, vacations aren't always about laying around and not doing much. We really packed it in this week! Between Christmas morning, a trip to San Antonio, and a Dallas Stars hockey game, there was plenty to keep us busy! First things first...Christmas morning! Emmy got up first, around 6am. Of course, we were exhausted, so we told her to go back to bed for one more hour. Fast forward eleven minutes. She comes back in again. We tell her the same thing: go back to bed! So, every eleven minutes, this continues, until finally Emmy can't stand it anymore, so she goes into Zach's room and turns his lamp on. Now he was sound asleep, and didn't take too kindly to being disturbed. Emmy kept saying, "Don't you want to get up and see what Santa brought you?" and Zach was all "No, get out of here!" When we heard that, we knew it was time to get up. Hey, who are we to make kids wait to see what Santa brought them right?


OMG, did Santa really bring young Zachary his own iPod Touch?? AND...did Santa really bring Emmy her own flip video camera? Well, judging by the picture, you can see he did. Now Zach won't be asking to borrow someone else's, and Emmy can make her own movies about...well, whatever she finds interesting.


Man, look at those stockings! Whoever thought if the idea of hanging stockings just to get extra presents is a genius!


A Fijit!! If you don't know what this thing is, it's an interactive toy that (sort of) understands what you say, dances, tells jokes, all in a voice that would make Elmo cringe. It's kind of entertaining.


Zach wanted his own deck of playing cards more than anything else. Very glad Santa brought him those. His favourite game right now is Go-Fish. hey, it's easy enough to learn, and easier to play. He's getting pretty darn good.


Coolest...pajamas...ever!


Coolest...hoodie...ever!

After the presents were opened and we had a little breakfast, we headed over to Grandma's house for a yummy lunch! Unfortunately, it was very hard for me to enjoy it since the stomach bug that swept through pretty much most of the country managed to find Emmy, Zach and me. Emmy was done by Saturday but mine hit all day Sunday. I ate a little, but by the evening I was so sleepy and freezing I stayed home that night while everyone else hung out and played games. Ah well. Such is life. Better to get it out of the way sooner than later.


Me: "What's the matter Dean? You too good for a smoothie maker?"
Dean: "What makes you say that?"
Me: "Well...your face...plus that you just told me last week that you were too good for a smoothie maker..."

Wednesday we went down to San Antonio to see some family of Cari's. Not much to do but we did find some enjoyment in their mini golf course:


Zach: "Fore!"
Me: "Um, how hard did you hit the ball Zach?"
Zach: "About 45 yards..."
Me: "On a miniature golf course?"
Zach: "All about the power stroke Dad..."


Poetry in motion!! I didn't actually play, but I sure did give much-needed tips and advice to those who were.

So, we came back, and did some much-needed cleaning around the house, and then...the YMCA had their 2nd Annual Polar Bear Plunge! Now I'm not crazy enough to jump in freezing water in the middle of winter. But Zach and Emmy sure are:


They look like they're having fun...but they sure got out as fast as they jumped in!


Emily even got on the news! Of course, we somehow managed to not record it. We're still searching for it online.

Saturday night. Dallas Stars vs. the Stanley Cup-winning Boston Bruins! Keri gave us her suite passes since she decided to go see tattoo-ridden Adam Levine and Maroon 5 at the Winstar Casino. And man, this may have been the best game ever to go and see. We won 4-2 and there was even a fight!:



Not really sure who won, but in hockey all that matters is that they kiss and make up afterwards.


Love this shot of us! Possible Christmas card entry for next year I do believe.

Those suites really know how to put out a spread! Roast beef, fried chicken, nachos, hot dogs, salads...and I took advantage. Doesn't make me sound too great I suppose. But that was a great night.

We also managed a couple of trips to Six Flags, but those can wait for next week. I'm doing all of these posts in one day since I got a little behind. I think this was the best Christmas ever. I think I say that every year but this year...seems like everyone got what they wanted. What did I want? To be with family...to have a good dinner here and there...but mostly to keep in mind that Jesus really is the reason for the season. We sometimes forget that, even if we claim not to.

"Let The Vacation Begin!!"

Yes, as of yesterday my eleven day super-sized Christmas break has officially begun! Been waiting months for this...literally. Had it all arranged in August and then had the next three months to suffer through, but it has now arrived!! Cari had to work Friday, and cousin Dylan spent the night, so Friday morning we did something we hadn't done in a long, long time:


Downtown!! I cannot remember the last time we managed to make our way down here. Feels like years, which is probably was. But Dylan had never been here at all! For shame! Anyways...I am loving this new camera. Gets things much clearer and zooms much farther.


See what I mean? Maybe someone will notice them and publish them!


Emily: "Um, Dad, I'm really getting wet from standing here!"
Me: "Just 30 more minutes so that I can get this shot..."
Emily: "Geez, what's more important, you getting the 'perfect picture' or me getting hypothermia?"
Me: "Hmm...it shouldn't be this tough to choose..."


My goal was to have everyone looking like sailors on a ship, but it turned out more like them looking like tourists. Ah well. Still an inspired shot.

After we were done freezing outside, we made our way to the Barnes & Noble store down the street. It's kind of a pain where the store is located; it's too far to walk, and if you drive down there you have to find another meter. What's funny is every time we went out to the car, the meter always had 2 minutes left exactly.


Man, that was some nice decorations! Christmas to me is all about who can outdo who.


Zach: "Hey Dad, who is the cowboy behind us?"
Me: "I think that was Barnes Noble, the creator of this bookstore."
Emily: "Oh sure, like a cowboy would aspire to open his own bookstore."
Me: "The smart ones do."



My gosh I can't believe how much Emmy has grown. The first shot was taken about seven years ago. She wasn't even as tall as Toad! I guess growing up is inevitable.

After we read, we drank:


Apple cider for everyone! Except me...gotta go hot chocolate...always.

That night we went over to Mom's house for some Fratelli's pizza (/ahref>, egg nog, treats, and of course...presents! It wasn't until about Tuesday that I really got excited about this night. Zach and Emmy were really looking forward to it as well. And that pizza was so good. Mom even got ham and pineapple. I like to think she got it just for me heh heh. A few pix:


Wouldn't be Christmas without Zach getting some Legos!! He has gotten so much this year we haven't even made our way to his Legos yet. But we will.


Emmy got a DS game! Four games actually. Now if she could just remember where her DS is ha ha. Actually I think this week we know where it is!


Oh yeah, PF Chang's gift card!! We go there very sporadically due to their high prices and constant crowdedness. But if we have a gift card, then we always use it. Always.


This has been on my Amazon list for like two years and finally little sis got it for me!! I have always loved these movies and if you haven't seen them, Star Trek: TNG was never about the special effects. It was always about the story, and the relationships between the characters. Mom and I both watched it very often.


Me: "Hey Mom, what's so funny?"
Mom: "Oh...um...wasn't this a joke present? You know, a real gag gift?"
Keri: "No!! Isn't this a good picture of Mike and me?"
Mom: "Ehh..."

I thought it was a good picture. (sigh)

Oh I'm only kidding. Mom really did laugh when she opened it but she thought it was a great shot of us. Hey, if I'm in it, how can it be bad eh?

Saturday we just hung around the house until we went to Cari's parent's house for Christmas dinner. Of course, the kids got their share of gifts:


Zach in all of his love of all things Angry Birds, got himself a handy dandy blanket! I don't think he's opened it yet lol.


Wow, what a cool jacket! Unfortunately, it was a size too small, and I think I threw the tag away so now we can't return it. It fits her, but it's a little snug. Why must things always be my fault :(


Now this is awesome! It's a bluetooth-enabled speaker system for the iPod/iPhone. I'm considering taking it up to work and putting it behind me to have a surround sound experience while I'm watching movies at work. I have it so bad don't I ha ha.

When we got home, we were all very sure to put out some milk and cookies for Santa since we all know he runs on them:


I get the feeling Santa has Zach and Emmy on his nice list.

"Still My Birthday??"

You betcha! We all went over to Mom's apartment Sunday for a luncheon feast of epic proportions (chicken fried steak, potatoes, green bean casserole, and macaroni and cheese!) and, of course, a few presents. Plus, it was the perfect opportunity to break in my new camera! Not break literally...well...you know...anyways...a few pix:


The Beatles Anthology! Two years this has been on my Amazon wish list but it was always too expensive. Glad to see it finally came down to a reasonable amount! Thanks Keri! Zach sure does have this pout look on his face, like, hey, how come no one got me this for MY birthday? I can share with him. I've been known to share things from time to time.


What a cool Mavericks hoodie! Now that the championship team has sort of been dismantled as of late, I'd better enjoy being world champs as long as I can. Thanks Mom!

Saturday we went to the YMCA to have breakfast with Santa!:


Kids: "And I think, it’s gonna be a long, long time
Till touch down brings me 'round again to find
I’m not the man they think I am at home
Oh, NO NO NO I’m a rocket man..."
Me: "Um...how is this a Christmas song again?"
Zach: "Ugh, I'll explain it one more time Daddy. Elton John is an astronaut, and astronauts survey the Earth from a great distance, similar to how Santa Claus surveys the Earth from a great distance!"
Me: "Um...wow...thanks for the incredibly detailed explanation son o mine."
Zach: "You know where to find me."


Me: "Hey Emmy, I think that is hurting Zach."
Emmy: "Nah...he makes this face in all of his pictures."
Me: "Oh yeah..."


And yes, after many minutes of waiting, ol' Santa himself finally graced everyone with his presence. He didn't give out any gifts though...but at least he smelled like pork rinds and Vicks Vap-O-Rub.

Zach and Emmy also got their letters to Santa done! Here's Emmy's:


This was literally the first thing I scanned on our new printer, so I may have not aligned it the best. But she sure covered her bases. Two normal front teeth? I keep telling her once all of her other teeth grow in everything will come together...kids believe what they want to believe I guess. New brains for my head!? Such impudence. Here's Zach's:


He wrote all that all by himself!! He had other things he wanted but, being Zach, lost patience writing and left the room. I bet Santa was listening though when he mentioned what he wanted.

I'm really big on writing letters to Santa. Most of your big blockbuster Christmas movies always seem to revolve around a letter that was sent and the kid wondered if Santa ever got it. And, sure enough, he always did. One year when I was twelve I wrote down every new Transformer on a piece of spiral paper and handed it to Mom. I got a few of them but not the entire catalog that I wrote down ha ha. It's always fun to think about things that managed to escape your mind from time to time. The other night Zach asked me to tell him a story of when I was a kid, which is usually does when it's time to go to bed but he's not ready to yet. So I told him about December 1987 when Dad was going to Canada for business. Our old church Kimball had this weekly men's breakfast club at IHOP and when I was able to get myself out of bed and dressed by 6:15 he let me come with him. Well, my birthday came around and Dad was out of town, but he did something really cool for me. The night before my birthday he called and told me to be dressed by 6:15 the next day. So I did, and a fellow member of the men's club picked me up and we went to IHOP and they bought me breakfast as a kind of early birthday party. That was...24 years go...and it still swims around in the deep end of the ocean that is my mind.

"Happy Birthday To..."

ME, chumps!! ME ME ME!!!! Numero 37 man...and I gotta say...I don't think I've ever felt better in my life. Physically, anyways. Other things...not so much. I'm such an idiot sometimes. I'm putting the rest of the Christmas lights yesterday and I set my wallet on top of my car and forogt about it and drove off to work and it flew off somewhere. Arggh! I spent all morning today at the DMV getting a new license. At least they gave me a temporary one to use until I get my new license in 2-4 weeks. Still have to call my cards and stuff. Hopefully will get it done this weekend.

Emmy had her very first cello recital last night!! She played perfectly. Was so proud of her:


Future Yo-Yo Ma?? I wish I knew other cellists...but...I do not...


Zach: "Dad...how much longer is this concert??"
Me: "Let's see...they've been playing for how long?"
Zach: "About three minutes."
Me: "Ahh...then...six more hours."
Zach: "Aaaghhhh..."

Before the concert, however, we had a little birthday party for yours truly! Got something I've been wanting for a long...LONG...time:


A new camera!!! And this one has some serious zoom action that those thinner cameras just don't have. Will test it out this weekend when we go to Mom's house for Keri and I's annual birthday home-cooked lunch!


Emmy took time out of her busy schedule to make a rose for me! She used only manila paper! So creative she is.


How bout them Rangers! I tried it on last night and it was sooo warm and comfortable. I'm such a woman ha ha. I'm still gonna wear the shirt though, even if they couldn't win the World Series...twice. I can't be mad at them though. Been a lot of fun the last coule of falls.

We had our holiday lunch at work today! Fajitas and more!! Tore...it...up. Since I didn't have breakfast due to the whole driver's license thing I had to make the most of it. And man I did. My department all sat at the same table and had a real nice time.

Hopefully once I get all my stuff replaced...which I guess now includes a new wallet...I'll feel much better. I did finally get some candles!! A red velvet cake one and a pumpkin pie one. Seperately they don't do a lot but together...man it is awesome in our house. Plus I got more lights not only on the house but also on our tree! Looks great. To me that's what I look forward to about Christmas more than any present. Making things look festive and getting Zach and Emmy involved in what the true meaning of Christmas is...and it aint gifts. Sometimes I wonder what ever happened to all those presents I got. One year I was doubting whether or not Santa even existed. And then...I got this:


The G I Joe H.A.V.O.C. This was the present that, for the moment, renewed my belief. A few years went by...and it wasn't until about three or four years ago that the gift tag that said "To Mike From Santa" looked identical to my mom's handwriting. Why could I never put that together...it seems like I've been so clueless my whole life. Could never see the forest for the trees, ya know? Seems like I've spent my 30's waking up...learning how to figure things out easier instead of always taking the hardest most impossible road out there. Sure spent my 20's doing enough of that. So many mistakes...so many bad choices...but it only made me stronger I guess. I still want to find something for Cari for Christmas that lets her know how much she means to me. What to get her...what to get her...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

"Did I Miss A Week?"

Well I sure did. Four days of Thanksgiving vacation didn't leave me a lot of time so I'll have to make this one a super-duper-sized post! A lot has happened in the last 2 weeks. Zach had his end of year T-Ball party:


Hey, that's one good looking trophy! Of course, 30 minutes later the bat broke and had to be super-glued...ahh, boys will be boys yes?


I love this shot of us. Zach is doing the impossible: smiling nicely AND staring at the camera. Miracles can come true...they can happen to you...

The night before that while Cari and Emmy were shopping at Justice, a store that does not like guys coming in and loitering, Zach and I took some pictures around the newly-erected Christmas tree and surrounding decorations:


Zach: "Hey Dad, how do you light up this reindeer?"
Me: "Um...set it on fire?"
Zach: "Do you have a lighter? I'll light this sucka up right now!"
Me: "Figure of speech son..."


This one looks like a Christmas card! I might be able to superimpose Cari and Emmy in it ha ha.

We also had Emmy's end of year soccer party! They didn't win very many games, but they sure played as hard as anyone:


Man, in a couple of years Emmy will be taller than all of us!

Emmy has a volleyball tourney tomorrow. The more they win, the longer they play. I'm not sure which I'm rooting for more. Sports is such a long season sometimes.

So far our Christmas plans are starting to come together. It's always such a runaround sometimes but if we don't have our family together, the holidays just don't take on the specialness that will ultimately stand the test of time. Stuff comes and goes but to have people around you who don't mind having you around, well...its' value is well above anything we could ever buy or sell.